This bean salad has a refreshing tangy bite to it for appetites wilting in the summer heat. It's easy to make ahead, and great to keep in the fridge to reach for as a quick side salad to complete a meal. And, it's a salad that really is light and lively. Makes 6 cups (750 g) in total
Wash the green beans, and top them. Bring 400 ml (4 cl / 1.5 cups) of water to boil in a small pot. Add the fresh green beans and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes (2 minutes in a pressure cooker) until they start to get tender and bright green. Drain and plunge into cold water. After about 5 minutes, transfer to a large bowl and add the thinly sliced bell pepper, the minced onion, and the dill weed.
Put all the remaining ingredients in a microwave proof jug, and mix. Microwave for a minute or two till it has boiled a bit, then remove from microwave and pour over the beans. Toss the salad with tongs, and put into a covered dish in the fridge to marinate for several hours.
Notes
You can make this a day ahead of time; in fact, it's better if you do. Just turn the covered dish occasionally to baste the beans in the dressing. This will keep about 5 days, covered, in fridge.Instead of ½ an onion, you can use 3 or 4 green onions thinly chopped.You could use half-green beans, half yellow beans.We used a good quality, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Bragg's.)If your chile flakes are really fresh, you may want to use only ½ teaspoon.Optional: serve garnished with some chopped parsley, and perhaps a few halved cherry tomatoes.